The present application relates to an illumination device and a display device, each including a light modulation element exhibiting a scattering property or a transparent property to light.
Recently, a liquid crystal display has been rapidly improved in image quality or advanced in energy saving, and a method has been proposed, in which intensity of light from a backlight is partially modulated to improve scotopic contrast. As key technology of the method, light emitting diodes (LEDs), used for a light source of a backlight, are partially driven to modulate light from a backlight according to a display image. In addition, reduction in thickness has been increasingly demanded in a large-size liquid crystal display as in a small-size liquid crystal display. Thus, attention is being focused on an edge light type where a light source is disposed on an edge of a light guide plate, rather than a type where a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) or LEDs is/are disposed directly under a liquid crystal panel. However, partial drive in which light intensity of a light source is partially modulated is hardly achieved in the edge light type.